Climate shocks, food and nutrition security: evidence from the Young Lives cohort study

Many people living in poor communities in Ethiopia, Andhra Pradesh (India), Peru and Vietnam experience climatic shocks such as droughts and floods, and many face episodes of food insecurity. To understand better the links between the two types of shocks, Oxfam commissioned research from the Young Lives international cohort study of childhood poverty. This report draws on survey data from the Young Lives study to show that experience of floods is strongly associated with worsening food security in Peru and Vietnam; that previous episodes of food insecurity are also strong predictors of future food insecurity; but that the linkages between climatic shocks and childhood stunting are less clear cut.